Assessment of Salmonella contamination in locally prepared oral liquid anti-cough preparations sold in pharmacies in Kampala

Abstract

Background The manufacturing of oral liquid herbal products needs strict quality control measures in order to ensure that products are safe, have high quality, are efficacious before they are authorized to be released on the market for human consumption. However much, oral pharmaceutical preparations do not necessarily need to be sterile, herbal medicines intended for internal use should not be contaminated by Salmonella even in trace amount at any stage. Despite the benefits, herbal products have been found to be contaminated with contaminants such as microbial agents like Salmonella. Objective This study aimed at assessing the Salmonella contamination of locally prepared oral liquid herbal anti-cough preparations sold in pharmacies in Kampala. Methodology This was an experimental study. Herbal oral liquid preparations locally prepared and sold in Kampala were included. A total of six types of herbal products were purchased and the samples assessed for Salmonella spp contamination by culture techniques and biochemical methods. The results were analysed using EXCEL spreadsheet. Results There was no sample contaminated with Salmonella. However, there were some other bacterial contaminants in 8 of the 18 samples tested. Conclusion If manufacturers of oral liquid herbal anti-cough preparations follow the cGMP and these products are kept in a clean environment such as in pharmacies, these preparations can remain free of Salmonella contamination. The samples that showed some bacterial growth can be a source of microbial inoculation into the body.